disability
Paddy Considine’s long-awaited second film in the director’s chair is an emotionally manipulative disappointment, that has replaced the grit of his debut with a stale, maudlin predictability.
What Sanctuary shows is that a film can come from humble beginnings and a small budget but can have a big outcome on society. It also shows that film should and can be ready to show more diverse stories from the people who have experienced it and who still experience it.
With verisimilitude, outstanding acting from its central and supporting cast, and sentient multifaceted perspectives, Wonder succeeds.
With a weak and unfocused plot, Todd Haynes’s Wonderstruck feels like a love letter that isn’t quite sure who it’s addressing.
Wonder may have all the trappings of passable family-friendly fare, but it is jumbled, unfocused, and far too unbelievably sappy.
Devoid of any subtlety and bereft of a strong plot, the fact that a film so reductive as Blind was made this recently is quite shocking.
It may not be one of the most technically efficient documentaries ever made, but Hearing is Believing is certainly one of the most heartfelt.
Chicken is a British drama directed by Joe Stephenson, which debuted last year in the UK at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It follows Richard and his older brother Polly, who find themselves continuously travelling in their caravan for a place to call home. Richard, younger and more optimistic in his view, seeks stability, but Polly’s ever-increasing abusive behaviour seems to be getting the better of him.
As the title indicates, I have epilepsy. If you ran into me on the street, it’s not something you’d be able to tell about me by looking. That’s not how epilepsy works, generally.
Like all social groups, people with disability have been portrayed in diverse ways in Hollywood, from stereotypical representations in horror to genuine inspirations in melodramas. Disability is represented as a metaphor through imagery or characters’ features, or as a direct subject within the narrative. The entire concept of genre is recycled from elements within society, and the relevant features of each specifically labels the disabled into a certain character type.
If you’ve ever wondered what inclusive cinema looks like, you should watch Becoming Bulletproof. Michael Barnett’s documentary captures the filming of a Western, called “Bulletproof,” starring performers with different abilities. Among the cast are people who struggle with impediments to speech and mobility, and working with their different needs creates an unique atmosphere behind the scenes.
One of the hardest things to decide when reviewing a film is if the intentions behind the production feel genuine. One aspect that always arises during the Oscar/Award periods is actors doing roles or movies being made purely for “Oscar bait”. The idea of making a movie purely for the sake of gaining awards attention is somewhat cynical, but the transparency of movie production nowadays makes this something that sadly may have some truth behind it.